Chef and restaurateur Matt Tebbutt is in advanced talks to front the BBC One show alongside remaining judge Jon Torode, say TV industry sources

Saturday Kitchen’s Matt Tebbutt is reportedly being considered to take over from Gregg Wallace as a judge and host on MasterChef.

The chef and restaurateur is said to be in advanced discussions with the producers of the BBC One show, and might also be a contender to present the spin-off series, MasterChef: The Professionals

Tebbutt, 51, who is a familiar face on Saturday mornings on the Beeb, is expected to join remaining judge Jon Torode.

This follows Wallace’s announcement in November that he was leaving the role amidst several allegations of inappropriate behaviour.

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A TV insider told The Sun: “Matt rose to the challenge of coming into Saturday Kitchen after it was previously hosted by another big name in the world of food, James Martin.

“He managed the feat of making it his own and almost making viewers forget who his predecessor was – now Beeb bosses, and the show producers Banijay, will be hoping he can work the same magic on MasterChef.”

Nothing is set in stone, of course, and the result of investigations into Gregg’s behaviour have yet to fully conclude.

Food critic and writer Grace Dent has been filling in for Wallace as a judge on Celebrity MasterChef, and it remains to be seen if she will continue in that role.

Father-of-two Matt has spent most of his life in South Wales where he had a restaurant, before giving it up to pursue his TV career.

He honed his culinary skills at Leiths School of Food and Wine, established by Bake Off judge Prue Leith, and has a history of working in numerous high-end restaurants.

He made his television debut on Channel 4’s Food Unwrapped in 2012, and later assumed the role of Saturday Kitchen host after stepping in for Martin.